Electrical problem?

[Roamingusa]

Hi,
We have gremlins in this trailer I swear! Twice this week we have lost power in just the living room area. We checked the breakers all are fine, checked fuses, fine. ?? The switch on the power pole is OK. Hubby unplugged the power cord from the trailer, and plugged it back in and everything came back on. Any ideas?
I want these gremlins "outta here"
Thanks, Chris

[JH Sechelt]

Hi Chris,

Sounds like a loose connection in your cord or adapter. There are 2 - 120V circuits going into your trailer if you are plugged into a 50amp service. One side seems to have the problem. If its a big yellow twist connector, it's not hard to take apart and look inside for something loose. If your not sure about working with electricity, get a service man. Good luck.

J&D

[EagleRunner]

Chris,
If this problem is intermittent and is isolated to just the living room outlets, the entertainment center and refer (AC mode), you might want to check for a loose return wire in the circuit breaker panel. These circuits are typically tied to the same circuit breaker and return wire (white or neutral wire). You have to remove the front cover of the breaker panel to expose the buss strips the white wires connect to. If I remember correctly, there are four screws that secure that cover to the panel. I would expect you will find one or more of those securing screws loose. In some cases, the insulation on the end of the loose wire will have a slight discoloration suggesting the wire got hot over time. Using a screw driver, tighten all the securing screws on that buss strip. You might also want to do the same to the buss strip securing all the bare copper wires. If you are not comfortable working around live circuits, unplug the shore power before working in the breaker panel.

The clue is the intermittent occurrence. Vibration can cause this wire to make or break the connection if the securing screw is loose. I had the identical problem and this was the cure.

A loose return wire can be problem with your electronics. If not addressed it could lead to failure of all components on that circuit. Anytime you have a hot wire with no return to ground you have the potential to burn out what is connected to it.

I hope this helps!

Tom

[H. John Kohl]

I had a similar experience. I tracked it down to a loose wire nut on the ceiling fan. The ceiling fan, TV, Fire place, and three outlets did not work. Logically and physically follow to flow from the circuit breaker (electrical outlets that are not working and look for a loose connection).
I check the breaker first and then did not follow my advise and took the easy route. It was the ceiling fan. I had to pull the blades off then the skirt to get to the wiring.
Good luck.